Arduino tvbgone for Newbies Workshop

This introductory workshop will show you everything you need to know to use an Arduino.

This fun and easy workshop is intended for people who know nothing at all.

Arduino is an amazingly powerful tool that is very simple to learn to use. It was designed so that artists and non-geeks can start from nothing, and make something cool happen in less than 90 minutes. Yet, it is powerful enough so that uber-geeks can use it for their projects as well.

In this workshop you will make your own Arduino that you can take home with you! And you will set up the free Arduino software on your computer. And you will make a TV-B-Gone remote control out of your Arduino. And you will be ready to make your own cool projects with your Arduino!

What: Arduino workshop for newbies, using TV-B-Gone remote controls as an introWhen: Saturday, 23-July, 2:00pm to 5pmWhere: Noisebridge -- 2169 Mission St., 3rd floorWho: Anyone and everyone can have fun learning Arduino. Ages 8 to 100Cost: Instruction is free,
parts costs (if you want to make along with us and bring your ArduinoTV-B-Gone home with you): $45

More Info

While on a workshop tour (Eastern Europe and Belgium
hackerspaces and hacker conferences) a group asked if I could do a
workshop on TV-B-Gone for Arduino. I looked into it, and found that
someone (Ken Shirriff) actually created a TV-B-Gone project for Arduino. There were
a few bugs in their setup which we fixed together, and I bought all the parts so
that a bunch of people could learn Arduino by making a TV-B-Gone from
a Ladyada BoArduino kit. The workshop was hugely popular, so I've been giving these workshops again, whenever I have time.

TV-B-Gone remote controls are intended for turning off TVs in public places, making the world a better place for everyone, everywhere you go. The TV-B-Gone we will make in this workshop will be able to turn off TVs from up to 15 meters away!

Instruction is free for this workshop, and open to everyone, but if you pay the $45 materials cost, then you will get to make and keep your BoArduino, the solderless breadboard, and the parts supplied for making your TV-B-Gone.

Itinerary For This Workshop

We will start by learning to solder. Don't let this scare you! I've taught well over 30,000 people to solder, most of whom have never made anything before in their lives. It is actually a very easy skill to learn. It is also very useful.

Then we will each make our own Arduino clone from a kit made by Ladyada: BoArduino.

Now that we each have our own Arduino, we will set up the free and open-source software on our laptops (if you bring one).

And then its time to make something and learn how easy it is to use Aruino! You'll put together your own TV-B-Gone remote control using your BoArduino. We will use a solderless breadboard. These are really useful, and provide a fast, and very easy way to put circuits together without needing to solder.